Preliminary Study of Social Withdrawal Behaviour in Vietnamese Adolescents

Abstract

Objective: Social withdrawal behaviour is a modern psychosocial phenomenon that has been studied in many countries. However, this is a research gap in Vietnam – a developing country, with almost no research on this phenomenon. This study was conducted to explore the context of social withdrawal behaviour among Vietnamese adolescents. Method: By designing a cross-sectional study on 1071 representative participants from three regions of the country, we have discovered that 1.77% of the selected participants experience this behaviour. Result: The common social withdrawal expressions in adolescents are being alone, not participating in meetings, not requiring others to interact and not talking to others, which can be categorized into two groups: Without interaction when being in the context that is required to participate, and (2) Choose to work alone if possible. These findings broaden our understanding of the possibility of facing this phenomenon in adolescents currently. Conclusion: This preliminary study can guide future studies on social withdrawal in a developing country. Despite the acknowledged limitations, our study provided an important insight into the social withdrawal in adolescents from a developing and multicultural country, thus contributing to the existing literature. Moreover, the research and development of other theoretical frameworks on social withdrawal is an indispensable direction to strengthen and broaden our understanding of this field.